[131] Pressure

Inside the grand hall, bathed in the warm glow of the late afternoon sun streaming through stained glass windows, the atmosphere was calm—yet laced with underlying tension. The scent of lavender flowers, carefully arranged along the pillars, did little to mask the reality that this meeting was one of diplomacy and critical decisions that would shape the future direction of the Kingdom of Lutharia.

Queen Cynereth sat gracefully on her throne, clad in a dusk-blue gown embroidered with silver threads, a hallmark of the royal family. Her gaze was sharp yet composed, scanning the gathered advisors and emissaries with the precision of a ruler long accustomed to power.